Kruševac, Serbia, 24-Apr-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Henkel has opened a new Somat factory in Kruševac, an investment worth 20 million euros. In this factory, an innovative technology will be implemented, bringing an entirely new product to the market: Somat tabs for dishwashing machines with disposable foil.

Somat tabs will be exported to 36 regional, European and global markets. The new Somat factory was officially opened by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, Ambassador of Germany in Serbia, Axel Dittmann, Plant Manager at Henkel Kruševac, Dušan Antonijević, as well as Wolfgang Weber, responsible for Digital Transformation and International Safety, Health, Environment, Quality in the supply chain of Henkel’s business unit Laundry & Home Care, and Michael Czech, Vice President Marketing Central Eastern Europe & Country Steering.

Prime Minister Ana Brnabić pointed out that the Henkel Serbia factory in Kruševac is a new important investment for the Serbian economy. “The Government of the Republic of Serbia is committed to continuously improving the conditions of business in order to accelerate economic growth and create new jobs. Henkel has invested about 200 million euros in Serbia since 2002, and the value of this investment in Kruševac is 20 million euros. New investments of companies that already operate in Serbia represent an excellent signal that Serbia is a good place for business, which gives a perspective to our citizens as new investments mean new jobs and overall growth. A strong economy means a strong Serbia,” said Brnabić.

“The expansion of Henkel’s production in Kruševac is an excellent example of the fact that economic relations between Germany and Serbia are becoming more and more intense,” said Ambassador Dittmann, and added: “With almost 400 companies, more than 44,000 employees and investments adding up to almost 2 billion euros since the year 2000 the activity level of German companies in Serbia is stronger than ever. To foster this positive trend, we are cooperating closely with our Serbian partners on further improving the business environment in Serbia, for instance by strengthening the rule of law. Germany will continue to strongly support reforms in Serbia on its path towards the EU,” said Ambassador Dittmann.

Plant manager Dušan Antonijević stated: “Henkel has successfully operated in Serbia for more than 15 years and has invested more than 200 million euros in the Serbian market so far. This investment is just another proof of the strategic role of our market within Henkel wordwide and we are very proud that we are able to create new workplaces.”

“The new Somat factory is a project of great importance for Henkel, both in Serbia and on regional and global level. The 20 million euro investment into the new factory aims to support further development of our business, combining global expertise with local knowledge,” said Wolfgang Weber.

“Somat is a very well-known brand for machine dishwashing, and this category is the second fastest growing category in the detergent and home care industry in Serbia, achieving growth of more than 5 percent in 2017 in value. Moreover, this new Somat factory will contribute additional growth, employment impact and new business benefits to the local community and country in which we operate,” said Michael Czech.